Stereotyping apparatus



OctQQ, 1934. E. BROCKEL STEREOI'YPING APPARATUS Filed March 2, 1933 Patented Oct. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES STEREOTYPING APPARATUS Ernst Brockel, Augsburg, Germany, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Numberg A. G., Augsburg, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application March 2, 1933, Serial No. 659,284

In Germany March 3, 1932 10 Claims.

While in recent years stereotype plate casting machines suitable for middle sized and large printing oflfices have been developed, which are capable of producing up to four plates per minute, there is, up to the present day, no manually operated plate casting apparatus available which is suited to the needs of smaller printing oflices by reason of being simpler and cheaper to manufacture, and also cheaper to operate than the ordinary semi-automatic plate casting apparatus, and which, yet allows of speedy casting. The object of the present invention is to supply this want.

According to the present invention, the melting pot and the casting mold which is disposed laterally thereof have a common center of motion and, for the purpose of casting are tilted from the inoperative position of the melting pot into the casting position in such manner that the contents of the mold during solidification may be subjected to the pressure of the weight of the metal remaining in the melting pot, and, after the metal within the mold has solidified, the melting pot and the mold are tilted back into the inoperative position, whereupon the mold is opened. The melting pot and the mold com unicate by a duct, one end of which, the por ion nearest to the melting pot, is heated in order topreserve the metal therein in the molten'state,

while that contained in the other portion is allowed to solidify. The portion of the duct in which the tail forms is so shaped that, when the mold is opened, the tail may be easily withdrawn.

The drawing is a sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the novel stereotyping apparatus.

The melting pot 1 has sheet metal flange like extensions 2 of its side walls, which, by means of screws 3 are fastened to substantially vertical walls 4, pivotally supported on shaft 5. The

shaft 5 is supported by two supporting members 6. The core 7 of the casting mold is also screwed to these walls 4. The spout of the melting pot is screwed to the core '7 by means of screws 8. The melting pot and the core are thus rigidly connected in such a manner that the plane wall 9', closing the semi-cylindrical core occupies a substantially vertical position. The core 7, together with the shell or drag 10 forms the casting mold. The drag 10 is tiltably mounted on a horizontal shaft 11 held in suitable bearings in the walls 4. Its weight is balanced by counterweights 12, which by means of two arms 14, rockably mounted on a shaft 13, bear upon rollers 15 of the drag. For the purpose of holding the stereotyping'apparatus in either its casting or its inoperative position, plates 1'1 are rotatably mounted on the shaft 11, the plates having slots 18, into which bolts 19 project. In the inoperative position as shown on the drawing, the bolt 19 occupiesa position within a recess 20 at the right hand end of slot 18, which has the effect to hold the assembly comprising the melting pot 1, the side walls 4, thecore 7, the drag l0 and the counterweight 12 in position so as to prevent it from rocking on the shaft 5. The release may be effected by a kick against the rod 21. If a plate is to be cast, the mold is opened, a matrix placed therein and fastened thereto by means of the lock 22. The half rings 23 are then dropped in position, thereby closing the sides of the mold. By means of the handle 24, the mold is then raised to its vertical position. The weight of the counter weight 12 and its disposition being suitably chosen, no additional means are needed to hold the drag 10 in either of its two positions. If the mold is open, the arms 14 of the counter weight 12 bear upon the stops 26, and after the drag 10 has been raised hooks 27, which engage two rollers 28, press the drag against the core '7. Now the operator with his foot pushes the rod 21 downward and, by means of the handle 24 tilts the interlocked members, that is, the melting pot 1, the side walls 4, the core 7, the drag 10 and the counter weight 12 about the shaft 5 to the left, until the left hand end of slot 18 abuts against the stops 19. The interlocked members remain in the new position, the center of gravity having shifted from, the point S to the point S. During the tilting motion the metal flows through the wide communieating duct 29 from the melting pot into the mold. If necessary, the core '7 and the drag 10 are cooled by known means. Presently, the metal within the mold will set while under pressure of the contents of the melting pot. At the same time the metal within the duct 29 will also set but only in the portion nearest the mold, while within the portion 30 adjacent to the melting pot it will remain in the molten state, because there it is kept at a temperature above the melting point by separate heating means, such as, for instance, one or several electric heating elements31 or by gas flames. After the plate has set in the mold, the assembly comprising the melting pot, the mold and the counter weight will be tilted back by means of the handle 24, to the position shown in which position the stops 19 again rest in the recesses 20. The solidified plate is now enclosed in the mold and the tail inside the duct 29. It is necessary that during the opening of the mold, previous to the removal of the plate, the latter be positively held in its position on the drag 10 and also that the tail be withdrawn from the duct 29 simultaneously with the plate. In order to facilitate the withdrawal of the tail, and to prevent the tail from solidifying earlier than the plate, the portion of the duct 29 adjacent to the mold is made wider than the portion 30 which is next to the melting pot, as shown on the drawing.

The upper part 32 of the matrix loc k -22 is fitted, on its front edge, with a ridge 33 which will be completely enveloped by the metal forming the tail. As it is also necessary that upon the opening of the mold the lock with its upper part 32 may remain firmly attached to the drag, the lower 'ends 34 of the levers 35 are shaped so as to fit" in between the shaft 36 and the lugs 38 upon the levers 3'7, whereby the levers 35 are rigidly held in their position. Because, moreover, by tension rods 39 the lock 22 is connected with the levers '35, the lock 22 cannot, while the hooks are closed, move any more than the levers 35.

In order that the cast plate may more easily be removed from the core '7 when the levers 37 are pushed downward, the hooks 2'7 are so shaped that their edges 40 during thereleasing operation may bear on the rollers 28-Tthus with little effort considerable power will be generated for causing the plate to leave the core '7. During the release of the hooks, the levers 35, and by this means also the matrix lock are kept rigidly connected by the above mentioned stops 38. Consequently, when the drag with the plate is pressed oif the plunger, the tail will be removed simultaneously with the plate, since the ridge 33 is enveloped in the metal of the tail. The levers 35 and lock 22 can be released only after the hooks 2'7 have been released by means of the levers 3'7, the releasing motion bringing the lugs 38 from their upper, casting position into their lower inoperative position.

'By means of the handle 24'the drag 10 will now be swung into the opening position, shown on the drawing by the broken lines; The plate remains in the drag, the tail 41 projecting a few centimeters beyond the upper edge of the lock. The plate is now seized by the tail 41 and lifted off the drag. The lock will thereby be raised until the pla e slips off the projecting ridge 33. The whole succession of operations is repeated upon the casting of the next plate. Finally the tail 41 is removed bymeans of a small saw.

Since the apparatus hereinbefore described is designed for the casting of only a small number of plates at a time, and the weight of the tail in proportion to that of the plate is very small,

. a melting pot of small size will answer. In order to reduce the amount of heat requisite for heating and melting the metal, the walls of the melting pot are made of plates of thin sheet metal welded together. To save heat, the melting pct sitate quite a number of trouble-some preparato measures. If the melting pot is to be heated 'means for heating said melting pot, and means by gas, suitable gas burners will be substitu ed for the electrical heating elements 31 and 42.

A vent 43, which is telescopic on account of the tilting of the melting pot during the plate casting operation, discharges the lead fumes into the chinmey. The comparatively low height of .the apparatus permits the operations of inserting the matrix into the drag, and removing portions of the molten metal from the melting pot by means of a ladle, to be conveniently carried out -by the operator while standing on the floor. The height of the melting pot inlet above the floor is less than one meter.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for casting stereotype plates, in combination a melting pot and a mold having a common fulcrum, a duct between said melting pot and said mold, means for heating said duct,

common fulcrum, a duct between said melting potand said mold, means for heating said duct, means for heating said melting pot, means for rocking said melting pot together with said mold from the inoperative to the casting position, and means for swinging the drag of said mold away from its core.

3. In a device-for casting stereotype plates, in combination a melting pot anda mold having a common fulcrum, a duct intermediate said melting pot and said mold, means for heating. the portion of said duct adjacent said melting pot, means for heating said melting pot, and means for rocking said melting pot together with said mold from the inoperative to the casting position.

4. In a device for casting stereotype plates, in combination a melting pot and a mold having a common fulcrum, a duct intermediate said melting pot and said mold, means for heating the portion of said duct adjacentsaid melting pot, means for heating said melting pot, and means for rocking said melting pot together with said mold, said duct and said heating means from the inoperative into casting position so as to cause the cast plate to solidify in said mold under the weight of the contents in said melting pot.

' 5. In a device for casting stereotype plates, in combination a melting pot and a mold having a common fulcrum, a duct intermediate said melting pot and said mold, means for heating the portion of said duct adjacent to said melting pot, means for heating said melting pot, means for rocking said melting pot together with said mold from the inoperative to the casting position so as to cause the'cast plate to solidify in said mold under the weight of the contents in said melting pot, and means for returning said elements together into inoperative position permit= ting the liquid metal in said duct to flow back into said melting pot.

6. In a device for casting stereotype plates, in combination a melting pot and a mold having a common fulcrum, a means for rocking said melting pot and said mold together from the inoperative position into casting position, a duct intermediate said mold and said melting pot formed 145 integrally with the latter, means for heating the inlet portion of said duct, and means for heating said melting pot.

'7. The combination as specified in claim 6, in which the outlet portion of said duct adjacent said mold is 01' greater cross-section than that of the plate gage of said mold.

8. The combination as specified in claim 8, in which said mold comprises a core and a cooperating drag mounted for being rocked into and out of casting position relative to said core, and means on said drag projecting into the solidifying portion of the stereotype metal in said duct.

9. The combination as specified in claim 6, in which said mold comprises a core and a cooperating drag mounted for being rocked into and out of casting position relative to said core, a matrix lock on said mold, means for temporarily locking said matrix lock to said drag, a ridgelike projection on said matrix lock extending into the solidifying portion of the stereotype metal in said ductso as to hold the stereotype plate and the "tail" in position on the drag upon said mold being opened, and means for unlocking said matrix lock.

10. In a device for casting stereotype plates, in combination a meltingpot, means for heating said pot, a mold having a common fulcrum with said melting pot, a duct between the latter and said mold, means for heating said duct, and means for rocking said melting pot together with the heating means therefor and said mold from the inoperative to the casting position.

ERNST BROCKEL. 

